Blood Simple (1984, Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen) English 8

Starring Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya, John Getz, M. Emmet Walsh

The debut feature film from the Coen Brothers about a cuckolded husband who hires a sleazy private detective to do his dirty work for him,established them right from the start as masters of filmmaking. Though very inexpensive and sparse, Blood Simple works by relying on visual suspense, such as the brilliantly bloody sequence of one of the characters’ hands being impaled, but the entire film showcases their talent for tone, dark humor, and unforgettable violence.